The tale begins on a dark, stormy night. Mario, a veteran hero of the mushroom kingdom, was waiting out the storm. Darn it, he really should've told his older, yet cowardly brother about the rain. Poor Luigi was probaly racing home in his kart after being caught in the storm.
Mario, unfortunately, never got a chance to meet up with him. Peach, and her trusty servant Toadsworth, were at the door. The plumber let them in warmly, but saw that their faces were dire. They brought with terrible news, a letter that held the body of a Toad completely drained of color! It wasn't even sealed properly, being held together clumsily by an arrow. If wasn't for their distinctive capped heads, Mario would've thought it was a mere scrap of paper. There was only one clue of the culprit, a post stamp originating from Port Prisma. A top destination for inter-kingdom vacations, Port Primsa was everything Rogue Port wasn't. It made things even more concerning, since if anything, Mario was expecting another reason to head back to those shifty docks. Not that he wouldn't mind.
What Mario, the Princess, and Toadsworth weren't expecting, was that Port Prisma caught the attention of a forest continent. To a the average citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom, Solistia is rather similar in geography. You could say that there is a grass land, desert land, water land, and so for. There is, however, a critical difference. They were completely oblivious to the "Things", mystic objects with great power. "Things" only showed up recently on the continent, and in that very short time, chaos spread far and wide. Hinoeuma was thrown into conflict once more over a "Faucet" that could produce infinite water. The Winterland Mountain Range was cleaved in two by the twin blades of a particular set of scissors. The Leaflands were frozen over by the work of a rectangular container. Suprisingly effective for preserving crops, and nigh every single living soul in the lands. Night used to be the greatest threat to civilization, but the "Things" did not care about the time of day. Dusk or dawn, they brought ruin to the once prosperous continent. The Moonshine Order and the evil god they worshiped had attempted to accomplish the same goal, but was slain by 8 travelers. Was this a cruel joke by the remnants of Vide? The travelers, brought together once more by the calamity, had only 1 lead. One day, as rumors from New Delstians say, a merchant ship with hooded, masked men pulled in the harbor. They spoke of great treasures from the "Prisma Isles", capable of bending reality to whoever can claim them. To prove their point, the men allegedly brought with them a metal barrel that could summon a great thunderstorm out of nowhere. Since then, several ships have departed for the Isle, but none have returned. The destination, at the time, was obvious. Set sail for the Prisma Isles and figure out a way to contain the Things.
As you can already guess, it was not so.
The Princess's personal vessel docked in the piers of Port Prisma. Toadsworth is the first to leave and scout out the place.
"Tally ho! Princess Peach, we have landed. And i thought thise rough waters would have done us in!"
The old fungus looked around. Right from the beginning, something was amiss. Their was several other ships docked in the port, waving flags belonging to lands he had never heard of. The designs were off too, with the ships being powered by sail. One particularly blue ship even had a golden unicorn as a figurehead. Mushroom derived fuel was why sailboats went out of style back in the kingdom, but Bowser kept using the design for his airship fleets. Speaking of Bowser, these ships were not under the command of Dark Land for 1 huge reason: his army would've jumped them the moment they set foot. Each and every one of the mysterious vessels was missing their crew, and some color. In fact, the entire port seemed almost a little too quiet...
"Hmm... I hope I have not made a mistake. This place is lacking too much color to be Port Prisma." Toadsworth shook his cap. "Princess, come take a look at this!"
The kingdom's primeir ruler stepped out of her tiny ship.
"I've never heard of these places before." Peach spoke, glancing at the ships' banners and flags. She then smiled with relief. "That just means we landed in the right place afterall! I hope Mario is doing alright..."
Right on cue, a mustachioed plumber flinged himself out on the docks. The storm had not been kind to Mario, somehow twisting all his limbs together like human spaghetti. Some could say he was "crumbled" up into a ball. Regardless, it only took a few jumps for Mario to untwist himself.
"Ooh... my aching pasta noodle..." Mario groaned.
"There's my Mario! That's much better!" Peach laughed.
"I see food is always on your mind, Master Mario." Toadsworth chuckled lightly.
"They must be serving rainbow pasta somewhere on this island! I have to try it! Well, after we figure out who slurped up that Toad's color. What did that letter say again?"
"The letter only contained the Toad's body. How morbid!" Toadsworth shook his head. "I believe that after reading through several travel magazines, I'm am now an expert on all of the Prisma Isle's points of interest. The closest one is the Prism Fountain, the melting pot of all colors life. We must make haste, and find a few locals to assist us in this mystery."
"I like your music, Toadsworth!" Mario replied. "Gee, it sure is quiet around here. If the fountain's right ahead, shouldn't we have met some friendly faces by now?"
"Your right. H mp, typically you aren't usual this cautious, Mario." Peach responded.
"When I leap into danger, it's usual getting lil Luigi out of a jam, or freeing you from King Koopa. I know what's coming after stomping Goomba for 30 years. Also, I'm missing my trusty hammer! I swear on my uncle that it was stowed on the boat..."
"Master Mario! Look! I have found a replacement to your weapon of choice!" Toadsworth quickly cut off the plumber. "Over their, by the crates at the edge of the port. It would be of good use for smashing up the one blocking the entrance to the Rainbow Fountain, now would it?"
"Nice catch. Your eyes are mightly, mushroom man!" Mario complemented before heading off towards the spare hammer.
"I may have accidentally knocked master Mario's hammer into the seas during the storm. If he presses further, I can simply say I was practicing the Isles famous sit-down-and-slide shuffle." Toadsworth giggled mischievously.
Mario grabbed the spare hammer, but noticed that it was not the only weapon present. Spears and swords were also among the wreckage. A few shy guys were fans of spears, right? But the ship ported closest to the docks was not an airship. It was still by far the largest vessal, but it had massive sails, flying an emblem that vaguely resembled a rising sun. They weren't with Bowser, but tourists don't bring armies with them when going on vacation. Perhaps, the kingdom responsible was a potential suspect in the case of pale Toad.
Keeping this in the back of his head, Mario smashes the crate blocking the way to the Prisma Foundation. Now that the trio made their way to the central square of Port Prisma, it was clear that a disaster fell upon the city. Completely empty of townspeople, patches of land missing their color, and a distinct lack of a previously advertised fountain.
"It's like a complete ghost town..." Peach glanced around. "Toadsworth, are you sure this is the Prism Fountain?"
"Yeah, I was expecting some kind of rainbow road leading to the great waterworks in the sky." Mario chimed in.
Toadsworth grumbled to himself, and pulled out a guidebook. "Let me skim over this again... Aha! According to the guidebook, the 7 Big Paint Stars provide not just the foundation with color, but distribute it across the entire island. A villain mist have swiped them before we got here. I volunteer to go forward and see if any remaining locals have insight."
Toadsworth shuffled off, leaving Peach and Mario to themselves. Peach opened up the letter again, unfolding the very unfortunate Toad.
"There's no mistaking the postmark on this poor Toad. He was definitely sent from Port Prisma. But whi could have dine such a thing?"
"I believe I'm on the right trail, Princess." Mario responded. "One of those ships didn't seem like a cruise ship. They had abandoned weapons where I found my mallet. Whoever they are, they arn't happy campers."
"W-Weapons?" Peach stuttered.
"No bob-bombs, bullet bills, or fire bars, but they sure had alot of axes and stuff."
"But, that means, we aren't the only humans here Mario!"
Before Peach could elaborate, an alarm was tripped. A metal platform with buttons color coded with blue, red, and yellow rose up in the center of the fountain. Yet another mystery ontop of the toad and tge mysterious visitors. The two went over to the machine to invesigate.
"Emergency Recovery Unit." Mario read the label. "In case of an emergency, activate these switches hidden in the plaza: Hit, pull, and jump."
"I wonder what it all means." Peach asked. "Why would an emergency system be so vague?"
"Eh, Don't sweat it Princess. I've been hitting, pulling, and jumping since my Brooklyn days!"
Mario promptly hit, pulled, and bashed the conspicuously placed switches. The platform, in reality, was a vault door holding the Prisma Isle's trusted guardian. Just who is this guardian, you ask?
"Is that a... paint can?" Peach couldn't believe her eyes.
"I can see why its their secret weapon. First thing I'd do if paint bandits attacked my house would be to crack open a can."
"Of pasta sauce or paint, Mario?"
"... Hahaha! Good one, Princess." Mario chuckled. "But seriously, the guardian is sleeping on the job over here. Wakey wakey!"
The plumber bashed the tin can with his hammer. It begun to float in the air, and where the local would be on a normal paint can, was 2 beady, very annoyed yellow eyes. Atleast its a light sleeper compared to a certain Admiral...
"OW! What was that for!" The can groaned in a male voice. "How would you like it if I wacked you with a hammer while you are sleeping?"
"I'm sorry, and I can say Mario is feeling the same way." She cast a disaproving glance at the plumber. "It's just that... we thought you were a regular old paint can, so we tried to open you up."
The sentient paint can calmed down. He still spoke at the two in a snide tone.
"A paint can? You think I'm a regular paint can?" He blew a raspberry. "Alright, you don't look like you around here, so I will forgive that comment." Mario and Peach were still confused about the whole talking can, so he tried to lighten the mood. "Hey, now that I'm awake, you wanna go grab a burger or something? Your treat."
"Great, I'm starving!"
"Mario!"
"-But, we come here on important business. A citizen of the mushroom kingdom was sent to use through mail, pale as cold spaghetti. The letter was postmarked from your island, so we are hoping you know how to restore this pizanos color."
Princess peach nodded with approval. Mario couldn't bask in the short lived glory for long, as an elderly man's scream rang throughout the plaza.
"That didn't sound good!" The paint can spoke. "I'll go check it out. Close friend or relative?
"Oh no, Toadsworth!" Peach shrieked.
"Hang in there, we've coming!" Mario ran to the source of the calamity.
"I'm banking on the later." He mused to himself. "Hey, wait up for me!"
By the time he got to the scene, a horrific tragedy was playing out. A red shy guy was slurping up Toadsworth's color, starting from the waste down.
"Cease, you rascal!" The elderly toad screamed. He struggled to pivot his remaining body to face the rest of the gang. "See, I found the culprit, Princess! I knew it! The Koopa Troop is afoot once more! Gah- there goes my legs... Just, take these Battle Cards, Master Mario, and give this masked minion..."
The last of Toadsworth's color was drained, denying his last words of wisdom. He did manage to toss Mario several decks. They were all missing color, but through the black and white outlines, they had familiar symbols. Mushrooms, syrup jars, hammers, and boots, all the tools Mario has used to fight. It seemed straight forward enough, but the next pack had cards with spears, axes, swords, and bows. The same weapons he found abandoned on the dockside...
"The rumors were true. It's one of the masked men!" A mysterious voice spoke out.
"The rumors spoke nothing of them draining the life from their victims..." A motherly voice replied.
"That isn't a human. Its a monster! I wonder how he tastes..." A girlish voice asked.
Mario's trance was broken. He found the locals! But why were they in hiding...
"Please help!" Peach pleaded. "We mean no harm. If anything, it's the ones in the funny masks that you should be afraid of!"
"No use in hiding anymore. Let's get him!" The girl yelled.
Behind a few barrels came 3 individuals. One, a youngish girl in tribal clothing, who also had the ears and tail of a beast. A owl of hers seemed to be cowaring behind her back. The older woman with her was much more proper, wearing blue medical robes and brown gloves. She pulled out a few herbs from a leather satchel around her waist. Finally, a man in red drew his weapon, ready to avenge the fallen. He's not Mario, but there was something about the man that vaguely reassembled him.
"HOLD IT!"
The paint cans words froze the action. Even the shy guy put a pause to his paint sucking. What a polite dude!
"Mario, do you even have paint? And did those guys over their bring Battle Cards?" The paint can asked.
"Uuuuuh... The last time i painted was for a gig way back then..." Mario scratched his head.
"Cards? You mean what humans use to play games in taverns?" The beast girl responded, twitching her tail.
"Battle cards, no, but I have several years of swordplay under my belt." The red swordsman replied.
"I appreciate the concern, but my battle medicine is more than enough to subdue that creature." The motherly woman pulled out a vial of an unknown substance.
"Not from around here too?" The paint can sighed, then muttered to himself: "Gee, how long was I out for? Cause I don't remember all these tourists running around." When he noticed that he was casting suspicious on himself, he quickly raised the tone. "The point is, every battle on the Prisma Isles is possible with only two ingredients, paint and cards. Argh! But I can't smell any paint around here! That Shy Guy, er, Shy Guys... Hey, cheater! Did you seriously just call for your friends during my important schpiel?"
"Sorry. It's just that Mario is typically outnumbered in these types of encounters." The creature then whispered to one of his three friends. "I knew the Red Airship division had it out for us. Why didn't they tell us that Mario has three partners this time? We're going to get thrashed!"
"I can hear you!" The beast-eared girl spoke, causing the Shy guys to panic. The owl on the girl's shoulder hooed in her ear. "They speak the human language? Hikari, Cattsi, you understand the monsters?"
"A bit nasal and muffled, but no different from a New Delstian." Cattsi responded.
"It gives us even less reason to draw blood." Hikari withdrew his sword, and started to negotiate with the Shy Guys "If you don't want to talk, I can offer some coin in exchange."
"Lookey, red guy thinks he can bribe us?" The shy guy snided. "We know where you came from. Ran into a couple of your folks and slurped them dry. Yeah, you don't have a single Mushroom Kingdom coin in your family name. And I flunked my economics class, so don't ask me to do the conversions!"
There was a long, award silence after that oddly specific comment.
"Mario, just give me a squeeze so we can take those weirdos down already." The paint can demanded.
"Okey dokey, since you are the only one talking sense." Mario picked up the can. Now, Mario always knew he was stronger than teh average man, being able to jump several times his height and break bricks with his fist. With the paint can, he further realized how far his strength went. He managed to wring it out like a sponge, spewing paint all over himself, the beast girl, and her traveling companions. Once every last drop was squeezed, the paint can seemed more slim than usuall.
"Whooo! I'm so light and airy? Is this how you paper folk feel all the time?" He asked innocently.
"Paper? Who gave you that idea?" Mario raised an eyebrow.
He simply ignored the plumber. "Alright, enough flapping in the wind! The paint you all absorbed was my blood, sweat, and tears. You'll have time to shower later."
"I don't even smell anything." The beast girl sniffed. "Mahina's feathers look ok too."
""Water in Ku is so precious that it's foolish to waste it on hygiene. Or that was how it was in the past..." Hikari heaved a sigh.
"I'm looking for the nearest river after where finished." Cattsi pouted. "What if you passed on foreign disease?"
"There's a beautiful hotspring up Mt. Redpepper, dear. Perfect time of the year to visit." He responded in a demeaning voice. "You need to use the paint to power up the Battle Cards your friend just gave you. And then use the cards platter those introverted assassins." Realizing the travelers, in fact, did not have the precious battle cards, the paint can sharply whispered into Mario's ear: "Mario, hand them the cards!"
He handed off the cards to the travelers. It was easy to work out which ones to give, since they all had weapons corresponding to the cards. Hikari got the swords and spears, axes went to Cattsi, and the beast girl was awarded both axes and bow themed cards.
"Looks like those Shy Guys will be attacking us at any minute." The paint can warned. But, in reality...
"Dude, I was copying off of you!" The shy guy was arguing with the one with the straw.
"I thought you were the smartest guy in the class!" The other one lashed back.
"Any minute now..." The paint can goaded, but the Shy Guys were more eager to do battle with each other. "Oh scrap, can someone just jump one of those idiots now?"
"A preemptive strike? You speak the same language as Kazan." Hikari commented. "They hurt my friends, so violence is on the table. Prepare yourselves!"
He swung at the Slurp Guy, initiating his first battle in the Mushroom Kingdom. The vertical slash was enough to defeat the creature in a single blow.
"Eeek!" One of the Shy Guys gasped.
"This is crazy! Mario's partners shouldn't be oneshotting us at the beginning. That airship is looking really cosey right now..." Another one responded.
"He still brings partners?" Another one deadpanned.
"Mama mia! Last person I knew who fought like that was a little mushroom master. Small in size, but large with his fists!" Mario complemented.
"The Kingdom of Ku has always produced fearsome warriors, but don't count out the rest of my companions out. We have an expert hunter and professional apothecary with us."
"Oh oh, but there's Agnea, Partty, Temmy, Throne and Pops too!" The beast girl cheered. "We're like a big family!"
"Hold up, who's counting? Is that... 8..." One of the Shy Guys mumbled.
"9 if you count Mario." Another spoke.
"That's it! I'm outta here. I've got to warn the airship!"
"Where do you think he's going!"
"Don't bother man... He's gone. Just the two of us, against them."
"I'm too young die!"
"Well, you know what they say... Ride or Die!"
The shy guy ran up to the beast girl and slapped her.
"Oof! That hurt more than I expected." She growled.
"Because you just sat there and let him hit you!" The paint can teased. "Try blocking during the enemy's turn!"
"Like... this..."
"That's it, girl. Somebody's actually listening for once." The can giggled to himself. "You're up next, wolf ears. Now, you see that blank card? Just focus with all your might and..."
"Whoa! It just colored itself in like magic!" She squealed. "A Precise Shot or two should be enough."
She leaped into the air, pulled back on her bow. Instead of releasing, she simply fell back down on her back. The arrow shot up far over the Shy Guys' heads
"Ochette! Are you ok?!" Cattsi rushed to her aid and casted a healing spelling.
"Yeah, I'm fine. That was the first maneuver Master Juvah taught me. How could I mess up?"
"It's a little harder to explain." the paint can spoke in a nicer tone. "Let's just say on these lands, combat isn't about pushing a single button. It's more about when, and how, if you know what I mean."
"Just follow my example, lil bambino!" Mario boasted, winding back his hammer in a seemingly drawn out fashion. Then, after a few a few seconds of charging, he swings, causing a shock wave to take out the shy guy and heavily injure the remaining one.
"The intent! The power!" Hikari applauded. "Warrior, what city do you hail from?"
"Eheh, it's a loooooong story, Hikari." Mario laughed.
"I give up! Please spare me!" The Shy Guy raised up his hands. "See, I will even spare you the trouble and just tell you Bowser's plans for this episode."
The travelers withdrew their weapons. A monster surrendering was completely unprecedented from where they came from. It was worth it to put them away and here the Shy Guy out.
"Who is this 'Bowser' figure?" Cattsi inquired to the Shy Guy.
"Bowser? He's this big scary turtle dude who we all work for, ever since Mario over here made our last scary reptile boss go kaput. He put as for all sorts of schemes to take over our sworn enemies, the Mushroom Kingdom. Pretty girl in the crown over there, Princess Peach, is the ruler, so naturally, he usually trying to kidnap her, marry her, or cut out the middlewoman and burn down her Kingdom the old fashioned way. Man, I remember the old days when his horizons were so much broader. You never know what was coming next! One day we were driving cars, another day we were pirates, and there was this one time we were dressed as cave guys... Free travel really made up for Mario kicking our behinds kicked all the time."
"All this conflict in another continent? Montwise had a book that spoke of a hidden continent..." Cattsi started.
"Yeah, but here's the current conflict... Bowser wants all the paint of the Prisma Isles to himself. His Koopalings assigned us to defend each of the 7 Big Paint Stars so no wise guy trys to restore the paint. I'm telling you, if you've had a bad boss, you've never worked for one of his kids. I lucked out, though. The one guarding the red one isn't very bright."
"That was very helpful." Cattsi replied. "What about the Shy Guys who appeared in New Delsta, who summoned lightning magic with a steel barrel?"
"Sorry. Not my jurisdiction. It was the Purple Divison's idea. That means you would have to ask Wendy. But she would've give this info for for free, that's for sure. Pinch her pennies, and they pinch back!"
"Greed isn't just a human concept anymore." Hikari mused.
"Well, I got to go. I'm supposed to be keeping watch of the Crimson Tower."
"Wait." Cattsi said.
"Huh... What the..."
"You feel better now?"
"Great! Oh my! That healing jumbo is far better than the random mushrooms I've been eating. But why did you do that?"
"As a member of Eir's Apothicaries, it was my duty to provide healing for all who needs it."
"Really? But, I work for the evilest koopa in the Kingdom! What if some extremely evil villain came up to you right now and demanded you heal him?"
"...If taking his life would save several others, I would do so. I have done so."
"Deep stuff, doc. I'm out. Why don't YOU try talking with us more Mario?" He shot before leaving the town.
"They really weren't this chatty back in the day, I swear!" Mario sweated when against Cattsi's critical eye. But, secretly, the apothecary had a burning question:
"What is a Doctor?"
"Great, now we have a clear goal. We just have to find those 7 Pain Stars to save the island!" Ochette cheered. "It's reminding me when I had to gather the three beasts of legends. I hope they arn't as grumpy Tera and Glacis. Hey, talking bucket! Do you know where the Pain Stars are?"
"First of all, it's Paint Star." He responded with extra emphasis on the 'T'. "Second, my name isn't Talking Bucket. That's the nickname of my grandad. My name is Huey. As the guardian of the Prisma Isles, I can confidentially say that the 6 Paint Stars are hooked up the fountain, pumping up as much paint as you please. It's not for show, paint is literally the lifeblood of Prisma Isles." He then looked down at the body of Toadsworth. "Oh, I took the liberty of imbuling your weapons with every color of the rainbow. Give your pasty friend a wack, stab, or slice to bring him back."
Mario swung his hammer on Toadsworth's body. The paint had a mind of its own. It with only one swing, all of the Toad's color was restored.
"I LIVE!" He yelled victoriously. "Who's laughing now, slurping scoundrel?"
"Toadsworth!" Peach gave her royal retainer a passionate hug.
"Urf! I-I can't feel my arms, Princess!" He protested, causing Peach to release him out of concern.
"Howdy! You can call me Sir Toadsworth!" He greeted the travelers. "Wait, this isn't right. The natives of the Prisma Isles are supposed to be Toads, just like myself. The only humans in the mushroom kingdom are the Princess and the Master Mario Bros! Where do you hail from?"
"Ochette, Toto'haha's guardian hunter!"
"I'm originally from the Eastern Continent, but as a traveling apothecary, I don't have a true home. Cattsi Florenz is at your service."
"Himouea is the last country in Solisita o still have dynasties. I'd never expect to come face to face with a foreign princess." Hikari smiled. "King Hikari Ku is my full title, but I prefer Hikari."
Peach was taken aback. "A king? You don't really look the part. Oh, I get it! Is this a vacation with your retainers?"
"No, unfortunately." Hikari's expression soured "We came here to find a solution to a calamity that fell on our land. In the meantime, we can help Huey gather his Paint Stars. I have a hunch that it may be related to our issues."
The paint can responded in a playful manner, but it was clear to all that he was truly offended. "Oh please! If the Big Paint Stars weren't at the Fountain, it wouldn't be pumping paint 24/7. Are you trying to say it's dry?"
"It looked pretty dry to me when we first arrived..." Ochette was interrupted by Huey's rapacious laughter.
"Good one, Cat Ears!" The Beastling tilted her head in confusion. "I bet my life savings on the Rainbow Fountain running smoothly, as always. I'll show you."
Huey floated off towards the fountain. What he found was unpleasant, to say the least.
"AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!"
The paint can was writing in the central part of the paint fountain. His greatest fears were confirmed.
"My precious Paint Stars! There're gone- all gone!" He weeped.
"Why didn't he realize the stars were missing when he woke up? It's Terra all over again..." Ochette shook her head.
The Paint Can briefly stopped his crying when he heard that name. But before anyone could call him out, Huey further doubled down on his breakdown.
"Port Prisma without Big Paint Stars is like... like..." He blew his nonextenent nose "A tuna-fish sandwich without ketchup!"
"I don't know what that is, Hueley, but it smells great! No Mahina, I'm not talking about the red star over there..."
"Where, girl!? You can smell them too!?"
The paint can flew up in the Beastling's face. Her feathery friend hooed with fright before taking cover behind her back.
"Up there on that perch, Hueley..." Ochette slowly pointed towards a bright red star sitting on the upper levels of the plaza.
Huey laughed jovially. "Ah, isn't it glorious? Alright, Mario... Peach... Ochette... Hikari... Cassti... That's more than enough hands to help me find the Big Paint Stars! I did basically sacrifice my lifeblood to get you out of that pickle, so that makes us even!"
"Favor or not, we were always going provide assistance." Hikari spoke with a slightly exasperated look.
"Good! So, I will just chill out in one of your pockets, if you mind."
"I... lack pockets." Hikari admitted.
"There isn't enough room in my sachet for a metal flying bucket. Surprisingly." Cattsi spoke.
"Can I wear you as a hat?" Ochette asked innocently.
The paint can groaned. "Alright, you have some deep ones upfront, Mario."
"No problem. This isn't the first time I've had a travel sized companion, paint cannoli!" The plumber replied.
Peach and Toadsworth offered t stay behind. They were the weakest fighters, so another ambush could result in another color catastrophe. Mario and the Travelers exploed the Plaze, restoring paint to its structures and citizens. They eventually found a more proper room for the Princess to stay in. Unfortunately, for the Travelers, the "Inn" only had one bedroom. But, there was a very particulr encounter with a certain Shy Guy...
"You wanna here a juicy secret..." He was facing towards the wall, obscurbing his weapon. He then turned around, ready to strike. "SUUUUUUUURP! Hey, where'd my straw go..."
"Good night."
A woman in a somewhat revealing dress materialized from the shadows, bashing the Shy Guy with the dull side of her knife. In her free hand is a short plastic straw, which she twirled around between her fingers while laughing.
"Throne!" Ochette cheered.
"Ok. Hold the phone."
Huey popped out of Mario's pocket. The paint can was not happy with her presence.
"I can smell a thief from a mile away. Port Prisma has seen an uptick in paint-related heists while I was... on break. So, I will kindly tell you to GET LOST!"
Throne caught the straw and frowned. "Is this your friend?" She asked curtly to Mario.
"Ah, don't mind him. Huey's a colorful little bugger, but he means well." Mario took off his cap and bowed his head. "Mario's the name, plumbings is my game! Actually, it's not are only trade. Sports, medicine, construction, martial arts... Heh heh, honestly, me and my brother are anything but plumbers at this point."
"I can see that you are well rounded, in more ways than one." Throne's eyes directed themselves to Mario's noticeable gut. The woman held back a laugh, as she shared her information.
"The Masked Men have been using these straws to suck the color from the plaza. I saw one of them taking a sip from the water canal. Took care of him, but now the water is as stiff as solid ground."
"But that means, the blue distrincts water wheel isn't running!" Huey gasped. "That's why the streamer is blocking our progress to the Big Paint Star. Repainting that Colorless Spot should get things running again." He narrowed his eyes at the New Delsian thief. "I forgot, you weren't with the rest of your accomplices when I blessed them with my blood, sweat, and tears."
"!" Throne recoiled backwards, the disgust evident on her face.
"Huey didn't mean so in a literal manner!" Hikari quickly corrected "He splashed us with magical ink that allows us to restore the missing colors of his island."
The Himoean demonstrated with a simple stroke with his blade, creating a crescent shaped projectile as a result.
"You really had to put that in the worst terms possible." She sighed. "Cast your spell on me. Ive scouted ahead, and those monsters damaged the roads leading into the plaza."
"Scrap! They're working fast!" Huey spat out. "I don't have much paint on me, but it should be just enough to start you off."
He summoned forth a multicolor glob of paint and doused the theif's dagger with it.
"My blade feels lighter than usual. A little more speed wouldn't hurt." She studied her now-enchanted dagger, lightly laughing. "But now, it canke and restore life. Let's see how this all works..."
Throne approached the colorless spot of the waterfall feeding the rest of Port Prisma. She used her dagger just like an ink pen, filling in the pale space with blue paint. Now, the "water" flowed like the real deal. So real, infact, that the platform Throne was standing on was flushed down the canal by the torrent.
"Ahhhhh!" She let out a girlish scream. Falling down to her knee, Throne grouped the edges of the platform to keep her balance. She sighed wiping sweat off her head. Last thing she wanted was to fall into the aqueduct. Not as dirty as the New Delstian sewers, but Throne's attire was less than 100% waterproof. In her contemplations, the canal abruptly ended at the large red building. While the water rushed under the space between the tower and canal, Throne was not nearly as small. Her platform crashed, she got drenched, and fell back down with the rest of group, face first.
"..." Her words were muffled by the stone floor, but let's just say, they weren't pleasant.
"Yes! With that barrier rolled up, we have straight shot at the Paint Star!" Huey cheered, but then he noticed Throne. "Oh. I'm sorry you got soaked. The next surfing lesson is on me."
Ochette dried the thief off with her tail, which happened to be water absorbent. Mario went over to check up on her as well.
"Wipeout! Oh, get up, you!" He offered his hand.
"Are you celebrating my failure? Is that common practice in this kingdom?" She raised an eyebrow.
"No, not not like that. One thing I learned from my adventures is, that when you think its over, try, try again."
"That... makes more sense. The funny thing is, the language is the same here. Even those red monsters were speaking coherently, but they talk of impossible ideas. I overheard the one that drained the water say something about an airship."
"Airships? Nothing new, strange, or out of place. Flying ships are the least crazy thing Bowser Koopa's cooked up over the years. Say, I think I hear one right over there!"
A huge ship, hidden on the other side of Port Primsa's aqueducts, lifted itself into the sky. It's cargo was a metal bucket almost as large as the ship, filled to the brim with red paint. From the traveler's perspective, it looked no different from a small vessel, except for one detail. Instead of sails, there was a tower of rotating metal blades, whipping up enough wind to carry the ship far beyond the seas.
"Whoa. How does something so big fly?" Ochette gawked. Mahina hoo'ed into her ears, causing the hunter to remark: "Yeah, I have no problem with Glacis flying, but if humans got their hands on one of the ships, they could challenge her domain. The Dark Hunter..." She shook her head, getting the bad thoughts out of her head. "No. We killed her in the Shrine. She's just a pile of bones now."
"Good point, Ochette. I can't fathom the further bloodshed Sai will bring if they learn how to build airships" Hikari lowered his head in shame.
Cattsi noticed a certain Shy Guy standing on the bow of ship. Both of their eyes met, presumably. Hard to tell, being masked minions and all, but he was staring in the groups general direction. As the ship flew off, the Shy Guy turned around and headed towards the steering wheel.
"We need to get the Paint Star." Cattsi spoke after a long sigh. "Our best option is to stop whatever King Koopa has in store for the Prisma Isles. He will certainly attack Solistia next if he is successful here."
"Ah, taking initiative" Huey replied. "But, i know this Island like the back of my head... Yes, I dont have an actual head! Put your hand down, Ochette! Ahem, so if you get stuck, feel free to ask me. It's free!"
The gang went up to the Big Paint Star discovering that it wasn't so big afterall. More miniature. Huey stated that it may have simply been a piece of the bigger Paint Star, which meant grabbing it should lead them closer to the true prize. Mario touched the star, warping himself, Ochette, Cattsi, Hikari, and Throne away towards a red road...